COURAGE UNDER FIRE

(Memories on November 5, 2012 at 7:39am)

Every year, on “Halloween” break’s lure and goad, we always pack up and take that long and winding road. Back to where she did originally belong. Back to her kindred in a womb and in the tomb for a regular annual reunion.

Her land of nativity is the uttermost part of the earth or Iloilo in this case. My generation would dub “dyis pleti pa langit” for such birthplace. I remember what Old Deputy Kiko commented upon learning she became my loving wife: “You got something fresh from the farm site, rather than the city’s frozen delight.”

Well, in retort, what can I say? I don’t care if you’ll have all the flavors in the world, I’d still go for diamonds in the rough as not all that glitters is gold.

Sometimes life is a virtual world and looks can be deceiving. She may seem to be a fragile glass but she too could fight like an amazon then. One of the unforgettable scenes I’ve had with her happened during one of our group dates in Suhot resort in Dumalag while we were still in the getting-to-know-you stage.

I passed by this group of six toughies who’d had a drink too many, and who, upon seeing my then, I repeat then, handsome face, ahem, automatically chose me (perhaps out of envy, ahem) as their bullying target. My own group, which included three other alpha males, was ignorant of what was going on between me and the said toughies. They managed to quarantine me elsewhere, away from my group and the prying eyes of the public.

I knew I was trapped at the time as they continued to drag me away farther until the exit gate was drawing close. They were moving their warm bodies around me as if I was led to a certain direction by the rolling wall of Intramuros. I tried to feign calmness but in troth trembling was my flesh. I was expecting in seconds there’d be some coming of raining fists.

I prepared both cheeks to receive hard blows from all direction in the form of a jab or straight. But in a twinkling of an eye, there appeared my would-be wife right between me and the drunken toughies. With both hands initially on her waist, she eventually warned everyone not to even touch my face, pointing a finger around as if counting their noses and checking likewise their various shapes and sizes. And that was it! My heart was so impressed that right in that moment I concluded that when getting a wife I’d go for someone who could serve and protect.

Moments later, after the toughies had gone, I asked her in a whisper where she got the guts to display her gallant stand in front of those brats. Then she quickly pointed her right thumb behind, to the direction of her three smiling and waving Army relatives, each one carrying proudly assault rifles and explosives, itching to slug it out at her signal, any second, any minute.

Wow, I said, there are some moments when you’ve to show courage under fire. And I’m still thankful my wife then stopped her courage to shout “Fire!”